Vietnam province wants to install border cameras to deter Chinese criminals

By Hoang Phong   January 3, 2020 | 03:14 am PT
Vietnam province wants to install border cameras to deter Chinese criminals
Police in Quang Ninh Province arrest a group of Chinese nationals for illegally organizing gambling in June 2019. Photo courtesy of Quang Ninh Police.
Authorities in Quang Ninh Province have proposed erecting camera-mounted walls along the border with China to stem illegal entry.

The proposal came amid growing numbers of Chinese nationals illegally entering Vietnam via the border in Quang Ninh, home to world famous Ha Long Bay.

Speaking at a national online conference on Thursday, provincial authorities petitioned the government for financial support to hasten the project.

Local authorities confirmed border management suffers loopholes, causing an increase in criminal activities involving Chinese nationals. Due to complicated border terrain with more than 40 open trails, both people and goods can illegally cross the border.

The number of Chinese visitors to Quang Ninh has risen in recent years following the province's decision to allow them visa-free stays of up to three days.

In 2019, six million foreign tourists flocked to Quang Ninh to settle and do business. However, 654 suspects, mainly Chinese, were found to have illegally entered the country in violation of Vietnamese laws.

Vietnamese authorities have cracked down on several Chinese criminal gangs in recent times, with many found operating drug trafficking rings and engaging in illegal online gambling.

In June last year, police in Quang Ninh raided an apartment in Ha Long and arrested 25 suspects, three of them Chinese, organizing online gambling activities for fellow nationals.

Two months earlier, authorities swooped on a house in Mong Cai, discovering 11 Chinese nationals installing and utilizing unauthorized mobile phone signal boosters, jamming the regional network.

Last year, around 400 Chinese nationals were deported after police in the neighboring Hai Phong City busted a high-tech gambling ring worth more than 3 billion yuan ($430 million).

 
 
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